Many years later......

Ash lingered in the air, and more of it rose up as Fennec walked through the remains of the Sting Headquarters. It had been years since Coal's betrayal, decades since their father's death, and so much had changed that Fennec didn't even know where to begin.

He had stuck by Prickle. He wasn't sure why, but he had. He had been there when they had finally recaptured Coal, only for him to mysteriously escape (they still didn't know how, and it had pissed Prickle off to no end). Fennec had been the only dragon who could get within ten feet of his brother after Rattlesnake left. That one had been a hard pill to swallow. Rattlesnake had been one of the few dragons who always stuck by them, and for her to leave, completely jilting Prickle in the process, was rough. Something in Prickle had changed after that. Fennec wasn't sure what, but Rattlesnake's leaving had cracked something in him, and he became crueler. He became... well, more like Drought. 

When he came back to the headquarters, dragging in a kicking and screaming Rattlesnake, Fennec wasn't exactly surprised. He spent several nights in Rattlesnake's room as she sobbed and told him the terrible things that Prickle had done to her that day. Fennec didn't believe her at first, but Rattlesnake had never been one to fake tears, and the pain in her eyes was real. It was horrifying to see her, more broken and raw than Fennec had ever seen another dragon. Even Coal had never been this shattered, and that was saying something. 

Prickle complained during the day how she wouldn't stop crying, and it took all of Fennec's willpower to bite his tongue. Snapping at Prickle would do him no good, even if he wanted to choke his brother to death for the things he was doing to Rattlesnake. For so many years he had thought his brother's relationship was a loving one. It was the only example of love he really had, but this? What they had become? This was the exact opposite of love, and Prickle didn't seem to care. He had Rattlesnake, and he was happy about it.

The day they found out Rattlesnake was expecting a dragonet was the worst though.

"I can't do it," Rattlesnake said, her voice was shaking, her whole body was shaking, and she was shaking her head wildly as she sat curled up on the ground. Fennec sat across from her. "I can't do it-"

"It'll be okay," He tried to assure her. Rattlesnake only sobbed.

"You don't understand, I CAN'T- I can't have a dragonet with him. I can't- I'd rather kill myself-"

"Don't do that," Fennec said quickly. "I know it's bad, I know. But maybe a dragonet will get him away from you for awhile? Say you have to focus on the child, and maybe he'll let you be-"

"I don't want to focus on this dragonet!" She cried harder. "You don't understand, nobody understands-"

"Then help me too."

"I CAN'T!"

"Why not?" She let out another sobbed, and Fennec's heart strained.

"Because if I tell you, she'll die." Fennec stared at her. He wanted to help. He wanted to help her so badly, but how could he? If he got her out of the gang, she'd be tracked down and killed, and Fennec would be too for helping her. And the gang did need an heir, as awful of a way this was for one to exist.

"Nothing you ever tell me here gets out to anyone," He said. "Not even to Prickle."

"I don't believe you."

"When have I ever lied to you?" He asked. "What do I have to gain by telling anyone? I don't have friends. I don't talk to anyone, and Prickle knows the things he's done to you so why would I bother reminding him of them? You're suffering enough as it is, why would I add to that by telling Prickle what you say about him?" Rattlesnake looked up, and the effort it took for that simple action was exhausting. 

"Swear it. Swear he'll never know."

"I swear it."

"Swear it on Ferla's grave." Fennec paused. He'd never been asked to swear on Ferla before, but that... That was an unbreakable kind of promise, in his mind. Ferla's words had guided him for so long. How could he betray it now?

"I swear." Tears pricked up in Rattlesnake's eyes again.

"I already have a dragonet." She whispered. Fennec's eyes widened. "I got married after I left, and we had a little girl. When Prickle came back and got me, he killed my friend and I thought he killed my husband too, but now I don't know, but he didn't know about her so she's alive. She's out there somewhere, Fennec, and she probably hates me, and I love her and I can't- I can't just replace her with another dragonet, especially not one I hate." Fennec didn't have a response to that one, and Rattlesnake dropped her head again. "If Prickle ever found out, he'd track her down and kill her, I know it-"

"He won't." Fennec said immediately. "He will never know about her. I'll make sure of it." Rattlesnake looked up at him, as Fennec realized a way he could help her. He could keep his fucking mouth shut, even more so than usual, and if Prickle ever got wind from someone else that Rattlesnake had a daughter, he could convince his brother that they were just rumors, that it was impossible. He could keep that dragonet out of this life.

It was all he could do, and Rattlesnake looked so grateful for it that it broke his heart.

"Just promise me you won't kill yourself," He begged. "This place would be unbearable without you." Rattlesnake didn't smile, but she looked a little less miserable at him.

"And you still think we're not friends," She whispered. 

A few years later he had been stacking wood up for Rattlesnake's funeral. She had died in the crossfire of a fight in the gang, and her lifeless face had looked more peaceful than he had seen her in years. No one else cared about one more dead dragon, but he did. He burned Rattlesnake alone. Her and Prickle's son, Drought, had wanted to bury her, but Fennec refused. He was tired of burying good dragons in the yard, and he knew this hell was the last place Rattlesnake would ever want to spend eternity. She deserved to return to the sky, and so he gave her that sendoff. 

Prickle had died as well. He still wasn't sure exactly how, but he had heard a rumor involving a rainforest princess and fire, and wasn't upset at all at the prospect of his brother having died a horrible, fiery death. He had mourned his brother, of course, but after all the awful things he'd done, it had been difficult to truly care. They didn't have a body to burn, but Fennec thought that he would've buried his brother. It only seemed fitting to him. He didn't mourn Prickle so much as he mourned the loss of his family. They were all gone now, after all. Ferla and Drought had been dead for ages, Coal was long gone, with a family of his own no less, Rattlesnake was up in the sky, he hadn't seen Sirocco in over a decade, and now Prickle had left him too. Fennec shook his head. Even in leaving, he was still in last place. 

He had remained the Second as Drought Jr. (or was it Drough the second?) took over things. He had brought Coal's daughter into the gang, and Fennec thought he would mourn that girl's fate more than Prickle's death. Coal had just wanted out, and yet even his own little family couldn't escape the gang.

But then Coal's daughter had taken them down instead. Betrayed them just like their father, until Drought had lit the whole place on fire, just crazy enough to kill them all instead of admitting defeat. Fennec almost wanted to laugh. His niece and nephew certainly took after their fathers.

And the headquarters had burned. The gang had died, together, as one. Coal's daughter had gotten out, and Fennec had just been lucky enough to not be in the building when it all went down. He had searched for other surviving members for awhile, but found none. For some reason, that had relieved him.

He was the last Sting member left, and as he stood on the ashes of his family's kingdom, he decided that he didn't want to rebuild it. Fennec had never been a leader. He was the one to keep his head down. His family was dead, or wanted nothing to do with him, he had no friends, he had no gang, he was-

He was free.

That's what the burned wreckage of the headquarters meant. He couldn't stay inside a building that no long had walls. He had nothing tying him anywhere anymore. Fennec smiled at the thought. He had spent so many years not dreaming of a better life that now, when one was laid before him, he didn't know what to do with it. He kicked at the ashes of the headquarters, wondering what they had belonged to. The chair in his father's office? His own bedroom? Drought or another unfortunate dragon? He'd never know, and he didn't really care.

Approaching footsteps interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see Coal standing at the edge of the wreckage. Somehow, it didn't surprise him. They were the lone survivors of this hell. It was only right that they both met here. What they were supposed to do next, Fennec didn't know. There was too much unspoken between his brother and him. They had been separated too long.

Coal expected his brother to say something. So many years, so many things that had happened since he had been apart of the Sting, since he and Fennec had really talked. Surely there were things he wanted to say? Questions Coal could answer, maybe even a few punches they still had to throw? 

Fennec didn't expect Coal to say anything. He didn't have to, and Fennec knew better than to speak himself. Coal had gotten out. This building of ashes meant nothing to him now. He had a family of his own, and he had made his way in the world. He was free, and had a life outside of all of this. The Coal that Fennec had known once, the one he had looked after and watched the sunrise with likely didn't exist anymore. Fennec had no right to talk to him. He had no right to ask for forgiveness, for a second chance, to be included in the family Coal had created. And he didn't want it, Fennec realized. He didn't want t be apart of Coal's new family. He would never be an uncle to his dragonets. He'd never crack jokes at the dinner table and visit and have everyone be happy and at ease like normal families did. They weren't like that. They had never been. Coal was happy outside of the gang, and he had every right to be. 

It was time for Fennec to find his own life outside the gang. It was time for him to create his own happiness the way Coal had. 

So they didn't say anything. The two brother stood silently, one in the middle of the wreckage, one on the outside looking in. Fennec nodded, once, firmly. Coal nodded slowly in return.

And Fennec turned and walked away. He knew Coal was watching him go, and he had no idea where he was headed, but he knew he had to leave. He had nothing more to say.

Fennec left the Scorpion Den with no real destination in mind. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He decided, eventually, that he would head to the Skywing Kingdom. It had been years since he had last thought about Henna, but there was that slight chance she had survived. It was a closure Fennec wanted, even if it turned out Henna had died. Even if her old girlfriend tracked him down and murdered him for it, he didn't really care. He'd go find out what happened and then...

And then he'd see what made the ocean loud. He didn't feel the need to make a better plan then that. He was free. He had all the time in the world to figure it out.